The jubilating affair that was Saturday is in the rearview mirror for Arizona State football. The excitement of starting a new season in dominant fashion was exacerbated by the touchdown scorers as much as any player on the roster.
For running backs redshirt senior DeCarlos Brooks and sophomore Kyson Brown, the excitement of scoring for the Sun Devils continues to ignite their individual flames, as they find a chance to relish in their hard work.
“Yeah, it feels amazing just to get back in the end zone again,” Kyson Brown said on his 68-yard touchdown reception. “When you're coming out of high school, I'm used to being in the end zone every game all the time. Going through the whole season without getting in the end zone. It felt like I left something missing. So, it felt good to get back in the end zone. Yeah, play. I knew once I made the first guy miss, I knew I wasn’t going to let nobody catch me. So, I was just, you know, filled with emotions during that play.”
“That feels great, It feels great just going back, “Brooks who scored on an 8-yard run admitted. “Getting back to work. A lot of people doubt us just throughout the season, throughout the opposite, and stuff like that. So great win, great team win.”
It’s no secret that ASU came into the season with low expectations, voted last place by the Big 12 media. Granted, it's only one win with at least 11 more games to go, yet this 48-7 victory certainly increases the assurance level that has been built since fall camp.
“So, I think the confidence comes from this off-season carrying over into the season,” Brown said. “But of course, a touchdown on my own boosted that confidence a little bit more. So, it's just really carrying that confidence over week by week.”
Brown credits his off-season development to his constant work ethic. He is trying to become a well-rounded running back in order to find a role on the field.
“I really just try to work on a lot of different things,” Brown said. “Being more flexible, translating my strength into, being a little bit more versatile this year.
“In Coach Arroyo’s (offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo) offense we're going to be needed more in the passing game, too. So just work on everything, but nothing different, just more intense; you have to up the ante. So, really just, you know, continue to work hard, get it every day, and have the mentality of coming in, competing, and working hard.”
For redshirt junior tight end and Colorado transfer Chamon Metayer, his favorite moment of scoring his 25-yard reception touchdown against Wyoming centered around his teammates and the Sun Devil fans, being able to share his big moment with them and embrace the joyous atmosphere on game day.
“It was just me just embracing the crowd, embracing the environment for the first time and the front of the valley," Metayer recalled. “Just embracing the people around me, seeing my teammates behind me, celebrating with me. That's a great feeling that's a feeling everybody wants to feel, you know but first of all we got a lot to go though.”
Metayer also knows his role within the tight end group. On the field, he is an outlet for 19-year-old quarterback Sam Leavitt, using his athletic and dynamic abilities to be the playmaker he’s expected to be. His selfless role amongst the offense paid off in the season opener, and being available allowed him to showcase his talent when needed.
“My role varies in his offense,” Metayer said. “My job is just to make sure my quarterback feels safe. Like he has an option to go to when there's nobody else, and he could rely on somebody, Just being that little dump down check for him when he needs me and just making sure he’s comfortable with everything, making sure I protect first. That's key for me. Make sure I protect them. Make sure everybody stays off of him. I'm a big part in the passing game, run game, blocking game. We scheme everything. Making sure he stays safe in that pocket. That's my number one.
“Before the play, like even in practice, I told Cam [Skattebo], look, if you don't get the ball, it's coming to me, and I need you to give me a block. That was the mindset. I told Skatt, you get the ball down there; I'm celebrating with you either way; I just told him, I'm there for you; you're there for me. So, when I got the ball, I already knew the vision was clear for me. I didn't see anybody in my way.”
The Sun Devil backfield is set up to be dynamic this season, with three different running backs scoring touchdowns against the Cowboys and five players from the position group earning over 10 yards. Brooks and Brown know the caliber of talent that surrounds them and their individual roles in the running game’s success.
“I just think we all got the big play potential,” Brown said. “I feel my role is to make plays and, wherever they put me, be able to perform. I think just don't take it too serious like at the end day it's a game and at the same time like you know you're going to get your opportunity,” Brooks remarked. “You know you're going to get your shot. We train hard as hell, and we just keep the main thing in the main thing at the end of the day. So, I think for our room, it's just keeping that consistency and just like showing each other love when we can.”
Looking forward to Saturday and the contest versus Mississippi State, Metayer is now focused on keeping the tight end group motivated for the test up ahead, understanding that this upcoming Saturday against an SEC opponent is going to be a much stiffer challenge that will require a better performance. He isn’t allowing last week’s accomplishments to affect the task ahead. He knows one win on the season isn’t enough to reach the goals he has set this year, and he is working to get his teammates on the same page so they aren’t wrapped up in the team's recent success.
“We're not satisfied; We keep grinding, head down,” Metayer noted. “We're coming to work, you know, leading on each other. If we see somebody down in practice, we lifting them up. We haven't got time to slow down right now. We're going up. That's the only way we got to go.”
Mississippi State will be arriving in Tempe on a high themselves after dismantling Eastern Kentucky 56-7. In the history of ASU football, the program has never beaten an SEC opponent, currently sitting at 0-5 against teams from that conference. This is an aspect that Brooks and his teammates are not oblivious to wanting to go down in the history books of Sun Devil football and not let the opportunity to pass them by.
“I mean, everybody wants to be a part of history, right? “ Brooks asked. “That's got to be something you tell later on to your kids and your grandkids. Like, we're the first ASU team to beat an SEC team. So that's got to be really great on those (lists of) challenges.
“But I like just to keep kind of the same mindset. This is just the same team. It doesn't matter if we're playing Mississippi or Alabama. We're playing. We all play at the end of the day. We are all lining up.”
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